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Phonographic Yearbook • 1923: “Gonna Play the Villain Part”

Archeophone 1923The Archeophone label, in their Yearbook series, had previously released CDs dedicated to the music of every year from 1906-1922 (not to mention two CDs of recordings from the 1890s). Among their recent releases is a CD of 24 recordings that were originally released in 1923.

When one thinks of 1923 in terms of jazz history, the debut recordings of such African-American greats as King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds (the latter two with Oliver), and Bessie Smith come to mind. However, other than Smith’s “Down Hearted Blues” (which was a surprise best seller), none of those artists appear in 1923.

Joplin

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November 2026

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